Key



y B. STERNER 2,423,734

KEY

Filed April 23, 1945' F/6.2.- F/G/ K P- 3 Inventor 5E gg m srzmvm 5 B I am? JW' Attorney Patented July 8, 1947 OFFICE KEY Bernard Sterner, London, England Application April 23, 1945, Serial No. 589,839 In Great Britain May 10, 1944 6 Claims. (Cl. 70-411) This invention relates to keys for cylinder locks, and to parts for being assembled into such keys.

The kind of key to which the invention relates is that which consists of a holder in which a number of pins or bits of different lengths are permanently secured so that they cannot be removed without damaging the key.

A key of this kind is described and claimed in my prior British specification No. 519,739 and, according to that specification, the holder consists of a handle portion from which extends a bit-holding portion which forms one piece with the handle portion. The bit-holding portion is in the form of a plate provided with grooves for the reception of the bits, a part of the plate adjacent the handle portion being enclosed by an integral casing portion the inner surface of which bears against the ends of the bits when inserted in the grooves, while the remainder of the plate projects beyond the casing. The bits are of rectangular cross section and are all provided near their inner ends with slots or recesses which lie within the casing portion. when the bits are inserted in the grooves while the outer ends of the bits project to different distances in the grooves beyond the casing portion. The bits are permanently secured in the grooves by means of a rivet which is passed through a slot in the bit-: holding portion and engages in the slots or recesses of the bits, the end of the rivet being then burred over so as to hold the bits permanently in position.

Now it has been found that difliculties arise in the manufacture on a commercial scale of a key constructed in the manner described, which is best made by a casting process, owing to the somewhat complicated cores necessary, also the assembly of the parts necessitated the use of tools, and an object of the present invention is to provide a key of the aforesaid kind which can be made more easily and economically. A further object of the invention is to provide three elementary components which can be readily assembled to form a key without the use of tools by even unskilled persons, the three components consisting of a holder, a bit or bits to be secured in the holder and means for securing the bit or bits in the holder.

According to the invention, in a key of the kind set forth, the means for securing the pins or bits in position comprises a sleeve, which is initially separate from the holder, and surrounds the holder and the ends of the bits inserted therein.

According to a preferred construction, the key comprises a handle portion from which extends an integral bit-holding portion in the form of a plate provided with grooves for the reception of the bits and the bits are held in position by means of lugs or the like which extend from the grooves adjacent the handle portion and engage in slots in the bits, the initially separate sleeve being fitted around the bit-holding portion and the bits adjacentthe handle and secured in position.

The advantage is thereby obtained that the holder can be cast more easily since its shape is less complicated and movable cores are not required. Further a key having the bits arranged in any desired combination can easily be made up by any retail salesman or even an unskilled user, since it is merely necessary to insert bits of the requisite lengths, which may be differently numbered, in the proper grooves and then to slide the-sleeve over them and fix it in position. Consequently, only a small stock of parts need be kept, and from them a very large number of keys of different combinations may be readily as sembled without the use of tools to meet the requirements of different persons.

The sleeve may be fixed in position in any suitable manner but preferably is provided with inwardly projecting resilient tongues which are displaced out of the metal of the sleeve and automatically engage in slots in the side of the bitholding portion when the sleeve is slid into position. The sleeve cannot then be removed without damaging or destroying the key or the sleeve.

The handle of the key is advantageously curved in such a manner that the concave side is next to the thumb when the key is held between the thumb and forefinger and inserted the right way up in the lock.

In order that the invention may be easily understood and readily carried into effect, a key constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawingin which Fig.1 is a side view of the key, partly in section; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view of the key;

Fig. 4 is a detailed view of the sleeve; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing a number of bits of diiferent lengths suitable for use with the key.

Referring to the drawing, the key has a bitholding portion I and an operating or handle portion 2 which forms one piece with the portion l. The bit holder I has grooves or channels 3 for the reception of the bits 4 which are of different lengths as shown in Fig. 5. The bits 4 are of rectangular cross section and have recesses or slots 5 which, in the example illustrated are equidistant from their rear or inner ends. The grooves 3 are arranged in two similar parallel rows one on each side of the flat holder portion I as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, and they all terminate at the same level. The key is shown with three grooves for reception of the bits on each side but the number of grooves may of course be varied as desired. Each groove is provided adjacent its inner end with a lug 6 which engages in the recess 5 in the bit when the bit is positioned in the groove.

The thickness of the bit-holding portion I is greater for some distance from the handle 2 and is then reduced at the point shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A sleeve 1 of the form shown in Figure 4 is fitted over the thicker part of the bit holding portion and secures the bits in position after they have been inserted in the grooves. The sleeve is provided with inwardly projecting resilient tongues 8 which engage in recesses 9 at the sides of the bit-holding portion when the sleeve is slid into position. The bits are thereby securely held with the lugs engaging in the recesses 5 and cannot be removed without damaging the sleeve or the key..

In order to make up a key of any desired combination it. is merel necessary to insert the bits of the required lengths, which are differently numbered .for identification purposes, in the grooves 3 with the recesses 5 engaging the lugs 6 and then to slide the sleeve over the bit hold ing portion I until its end meets the handle portion when the tongues automatically engage in the recesses 9.

By assembling different bits in the holder at very large number of different combinations can be readily made up without the use of tools from a stock consisting only of three elementary components, namely holders, bits and sleeves.

As shown in Fig. 3 the handle portion 2 is preferably curved, in which case it will be naturally held between the thumb and forefinger of the right-hand (by right-handed persons) with the concave, side next to the thumb, and the bits are so arranged that, when the key is held in this manner and inserted into the lock, it is the right way up in the lock. There is, therefore, no need consciously to examine the key before inserting it in the lock because the key is gripped automatically the right way up.

In the case of left-handed persons, since the holder 1 is symmetrical, the bits can be reversed in such a manner that the key will again be the right way up when gripped in the manner described between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand.

I claim:

1. A key comprising a holder, a plurality of grooves in said holder, bits disposed in said grooves, lugs formed integral with the holder projecting into said grooves, recesses in said bits in which said lugs engage and an initially separate sleeve which surrounds the holder and the inner ends of the bits and secure the bits in the grooves with their recesses engaged with the lugs.

2. In a key comprising a holder in which a plurality of bits are secured, means for securing the bits in the holder comprising an initially separate sleeve, which surrounds the holder and the inner ends of the bits, resilient locking means on said sleeve and recesses in said holder in which said locking means can engage.

3. In a key comprising a handle portion, a plate-like bit-holding portion extending from said handle portion, grooves in said bit-holding portion, and bits disposed in said grooves and having recesses therein; lugs formed integral with the holder and projecting into said grooves and engaging the recesses in said bits and an initially separate sleeve which surrounds said bitholding portion and said bits in the region of engagement of the lugs in the recesses of the bits.

4. A key comprising a handle portion, a platelike bit-holding portion extending from said handle portion, a plurality of bits of differing lengths and an initially separate sleeve surrounding a limited reach of the holding portion and bits whereby said bits may be secured in said bit-holding portion.

5. A key blank comprising a plate-like portion having a handle portion extending from one end thereof, grooves extendin in the longitudinal direction of said plate-like portion, and a lug integral with the plate-like portion and projecting into each of said grooves.

6. Parts adapted to be assembled without the use of tools to form a key, consisting of a grooved holder having a lug formed integral with the holder and projecting into each groove, a plurality of bits of diiferent lengths adapted to be disposed in said grooves and each having a recess engageable with said lug, and a sleeve engageable over said holder and bits, said sleeve having inwardly projecting tongues engageable with recesses in said holder.

BERNARD STERNER.

, REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

